The death of Tsar Aleksei in January, 1676, unleashed a struggle of unparalleled ferocity among the boyars. Not since the end of the Time of Troubles had the Russian aristocracy fought among themselves with such ruthlessness: the loser in the battle, Artamon Matveev, was the first boyar since 1613 to be actually deprived of his rank of boyar. At the same time, the new regime inaugurated an expansion of honors of unprecedented proportions, the Boyar Duma increasing in size by one third and some lesser ranks by even more. The abolition of the precedence system (mestnichestvo) in the last months of the reign signaled further changes to come.

The struggle began on the day of Tsar Aleksei's death, 29 January 1676, and the fullest account of the events comes once again from the Danish resident Magnus Gjøe. The tsar's illness was concealed at first, though the Dane knew about it by 26 January four days after it began. Aleksei's death was exemplary: he refused to take medicine and passed the time in devotion. On the twenty-eighth he called in the young Fyodor, giving him his blessing and “very fine and Christian homilies.” He put the scepter into his hands and exhorted the boy to rule the people with sweetness and in the fear of God. He was to follow the counsels of the boyars, particularly Bogdan Khitrovo.